The Snuff Syndicate

by Keith Gouveia (editor/contributor), Mark Onspaugh, Carey Burns (Contributor)

In a world where serial killers are usually isolated and disconnected, The Snuff Syndicate provides an online forum made for them, by them. For members, social media is a tool to share pure, murder-filled ecstasy. Killing is a business of painstaking details, and every killer, from novice to expert needs a place to go to see what others are doing, from the ways they select victims to the methods they use to bloody their hands. The Snuff Syndicate is where they can brag, ask for advice and revel in their most gratifying hobby. "The Snuff Syndicate" offers readers a unique look into the gritty world of bloodletting. Keith Gouveia's novella strings together eight disparate stories of serial killers. As his novella unfolds, it reacts to and intersects more and more with stories by C.A. Burns, Kevin Cockle, Lorne Dixon, Giovanna Lagana, Mark Onspaugh, Gerald S. Parker, Marsheila Rockwell, & J. T. Seate. This unique collaborative-anthology reads more like a multi-point-of-view novel rather than an anthology.

Genres: Horror

204 pages, Paperback

First published December 5, 2012

Reviews

[Shlby · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't usually read horror or slasher fiction, so The Snuff Syndicate was equal parts surprising and satisfying—not to mention a little nightmare-inducing. Like Joyce Carol Oates meets Criminal Minds meets Facebook! Each story presents a unique perspective on killing, various serial murderers whose pathologies and perverse penchants are revealed in these twisted tales. Victims are both relevant and irrelevant, but what makes these stories unique is what murder does for these characters—from those abused-turned-abusers, femme fatales, artists, business men, to your run-of-the-mill creepy-ass college professor. For these killers, no guts means no glory, and the immorality of killing is shrugged aside for the messages slaughter might communicate. While there's plenty of gore, smut, sex, and the welcome comic relief, these stories also comment on gender roles and sexual inequality, sexuality, the 9-5 corporate job, religion, art versus pop culture, coming of age, and friendship, to name a few themes.

I love anthologies in which the stories speak to one another, and this anthology is delightfully intertextual, with Gouveia's novella threaded with relevant and unique stories. Some endings were predictable, but others were utter mind-fucks and the pacing throughout effectively builds suspense. Some of my favorites are "Hackwork," "First Communion," "E," "Snuffingly Yours," "Shall we Dance," and "NSFW."

[Meredith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book through Goodreads First Reads. This book was fast-paced and riveting. it was enjoyable and easy to read. The Snuff Syndicate contains several short stories as well as an underlying story that tells about the creation of the Snuff Syndicate, a website made for serial killers by serial killers.

Each short story is told in a different voice, particularly because they are from different contributors to the book. All of the stories are entertaining and interesting. Recommended for people who enjoy books on crime, murder, mysteries, horror, and short stories.

[Ian · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good idea to link each separate murder novelette to a central background story that continued to be developed between each of the separate killings. Although there were a few weaker tales (including the actual deconstructed Snuff Syndicate narrative itself) I found that the vast majority of them were of a good standard, well constructed and highly imaginative - plenty of suspense, violence, horror and general wickedness, without ever thankfully being overly shockingly distasteful. 3.5 stars.

[Myriam · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was amazing. The summary is a little deceiving. The message board really only serves as a very loose connective thread between each story.

And those stories are pretty much everything a serial killer "fan" could want and need. I'm not going to rate them individually because I actually think that even the less successful ones make a beautiful part of the whole.

I had been complaining about the lack of good serial killer material in the genre these days. It seems tastes have shifted and books about suburban women with dark secrets are all the rage. I mean these trends always reflect something about society and the fears currently plaguing the general public. I guess a fearsome, unbeatable bogeyman does not hit right at this time. It's all about generalized anxiety and the phone call coming from inside the house.

In this sense the serial killers of this book work for these new fears too. They're not portrayed as superhuman, super intelligent psychopaths with elaborate plans. They're more run of the mill and the only remarkable thing about them is that they happen to be criminally insane.

I really enjoyed spending time in these guys heads and every story comes with a little twist or a turn you didn't expect.

I would read more in a heartbeat.

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was surprised that I enjoyed this book so much. I was really glad to have won it. It was written well and it wasn't scary or anything. It was quite enjoyable.

FTC - I received this book for free through Goodreads giveaway.

[Matt Peters · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not as bloody or as graphic as I expected from the cover art. The stories tend to be more about the killers' motivations and processes than the gritty details of their acts. While there is plenty of blood as well, it's not the main focus.

The stories are well written and the collaborative aspect of the anthology works well. A lot of the traditional serial killer stereotypes/themes are presented, but often with a new or modern twist. A little loose in the beginning, but the collection really rocks in the later half when the novella and stories are totally interacting.

"The Snuff Syndicate" novella by Keith Gouveia - A great buddy story where the buddies just happen to be serial killers! Reminded me a little of Steinbeck's "Of Mice and Men." This could have been a novel on it's own as I wanted more history on Mike and Peter's partnership and want to know what ultimately happens to them after this story.

"Tipping the Odds" by C.A. Burns - A little slow paced, but that fit the character's methodical nature and the surprise at the end made it worth while.

"E" by Kevin Cockle - Gritty, Sexy, and twisted.

"NSFW" by Lorne Dixon - Very dark and brutal!

"The Calling" by Giovanna Lagana - Offered a new twist on an old "hearing voices" sterotype.

"Shall We Dance" by Mark Onspaugh - A great comic relief!

"Hackwork" by Gerald S. Parker - Again a little slow, but pays off in the end!

"First Communion" by Marsheila Rockwell - A great religious themed story without resorting to the old theme of the killer "killing for God."

"Snuffingly Yours" by J. T. Seate - Hot and steamy. A great take on the "Black Widow" theme. I liked the subtle feminist undertones.

[Will · Rating 5 out of 5]

Despite its ominous exterior which forebodes blood-lust and mutilation, “The Snuff Syndicate” presents more like a psychological thriller, offering its readers a unique opportunity to experience the disturbed rationale of a legion of serial killers that find solace and camaraderie through a clandestine social media website designed specifically for them. Each killer’s tale is told as a separate story (written by individual authors) and is weaved into a novella by Keith Gouveia, whose characters are both the macabre comic relief of this novel and the webmasters of the Snuff Syndicate. The organization of this book was an intriguing approach to storytelling and, I’m sure, a great deal of fun for the writers. The suspense is palpable throughout, laced with unabashed horror and the psychosomatic revelations of minds programed to kill.

[Melanie Neale · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is admittedly outside of the genre that I usually read, but I enjoyed it immensely. The structure is unusual--short stories from different authors are interwoven into a novella by Keith Gouveia, who seems to have worked closely with the other authors to make sure the theme was consistent and the story progressed despite the varying characters and methods of madness. This type of organization is unusual in a book like this and speaks highly of Keith's collaborative skills. As with any collection, some of the stories were better than others (a few of them blew me away--incest and murder are always a winning combination!), and Keith's writing ties them all together nicely.

[Vance Knox · Rating 4 out of 5]

The back of this book tells us that it is about serial killers and an online forum they use to tell their tales. Sounds awesome, right? But it doesn’t come across the way it is billed.

Keith Gouveia has had a brilliant idea (I had a similar thought last year regarding Cthulhu tales). He has written the base of a novella, the spine and ribcage. And he has 8 authors write stories to add arms, legs, and meat. And every single story, bar one, is awesome, and I like how Keith uses characters mentioned in the stories as his base tale progresses.

All tales are about serial killers.
All involve murder, gory and unabashed.
All the tales are linked by Keith Gouveia’s story.

I enjoyed the tales, but as with every collection (linked or not), there are a few that stand out:
Hackwork, Tipping the Odds, Snuffingly Yours, and NSFW kicked major butt.

Keith Gouveia has put together a great collection with a solid base story, which is, in itself, a more than decent addition to the rest.

You won’t be disappointed shelling out a few dollars on this.

[Cat · Rating 2 out of 5]

So, I did enjoy this book. But I feel the description of it isn’t exactly what it was. Most of the book isn’t about this “website for serial killers” at all, which I’m quite disappointed by. Some of the short stories about these killers didn’t tie into the website at all, I feel.